This past Saturday saw the Annual Harvest Fair at the Juneau Community Garden. Now in its 21st year, the Harvest Fair gives Juneau gardeners a chance to show off their green thumbs, perhaps earn some bragging rights for their efforts, and revel in what the earth has given them. John Thedinga, the Board President for the Garden, filled us in.

"This is our big event of the year, this is where people bring in and exhibit all their wonderful fruits and vegetables and herbs that they've grown this year either at the garden or at home. It also has food that we sell here, it's got fresh fish, we've got chili, all kinds of baked goods, and over here we've got a Farmers Market that gardeners here at the community garden donate things from their garden like lettuce, rhubarb, carrots, and we sell it here, people buy it like crazy, they come in and they really love this stuff it's great organic, local, just picked produce and those proceeds go to the garden to help maintain the garden."

As he explained further, the weather this year, being as unusual for Juneau as it was, had quite an effect on both the garden and the gardeners.

"It's really perked a lot of interest this year, all our plots are being used in the garden by people and things just grew really well, all this sunshine, you just can't beat it, it was just a great growing year."

One of the great things about the garden is the fact that it is indeed a "Community" Garden, and like any good community, everyone pitches in to help keep it going. John explained what is expected from a member of the Garden.

"For each plot a member has to do five hours of service at the garden, and that means either working at an event like this, mowing the grass, weed whacking, helping out with special projects, we're putting a new roof on one of our sheds this year and that's all volunteer where people help out with that so that's just part of being a member here at the garden, we all pitch in and help out here with all the tasks that need to be done at a place like this."